Love Tags: Our Favourites from IDS and DesignTO

If you attended this year’s edition of IDS Toronto or DesignTO, you may have noticed a little extra love in the air. For one, to gather in-person again and share our fascination for design is more than enough to swoon over. Beyond that, you’d have likely spotted our colourful DL Love Tags. Each year, Designlines awards Love Tags to our favourite products and projects on display. Especially those boasting originality, innovation and intrigue. From the spectacular studio installations to the up-and-coming prototypes, this year’s picks are as inspiring as ever.

3D-printed home decor
Designer: Cyrc
Key Feature: Vases, curvy fruit bowls and side tables made using recycled Matte PLA and PETG materials.

The Bunn Coffee Table
Designer: Krisette Santamaria
Key Feature: Surface made from used coffee grounds bound in epoxy resin.

Labrador Dining Chair
Designer: Olivier Laberge
Key Feature: Made of post-consumer white ash and recycled PET fabric.

Lotic Shower Seat
Designer: Capella Design, Willow & Stump Design Co.
Key Feature: Small batch production and made with antibacterial sealants for a long life.

Contra Mirrors
Designer: Sarah Yao-Rishea
Key Feature: Contrasting mirror designs using hand-crafted glass silvering.

Serpentine Suspension
Designer: Front Design for Moooi
Key Feature: Chandelier constructed of printed non-woven PES.

The Obakki Booth
Designer: Caralarga (textile sculpture) for Obakki
Key Feature: Sansevieria Sculpture hand-woven by artisans in Querétaro, Mexico.

Stonehenge Bookshelf
Designer: Derek McLeod
Key Feature: Solid walnut carved into weather-worn bookends to resemble the megaliths.

Still Me Installation
Designer: Tu Dinh Quan, Nhu Quan and Rui Chiao Chang of George Brown College
Key Feature: One of four finalists in the Metropolitan Design Challenge presented by Metropolitan Hardwood Floors Inc.

The Alaria Console Table 
Designer: Randy Mugford
Key Feature: Thin layers of curved wood challenge the visual properties of standard furniture.

Ayrsonics Booth
Designer: Quiet Earth Moss, Muratto
Key Feature: Acoustic solutions and sound-proofing made of preserved moss, recycled water bottles or cork.

The Space by EQ3 
Designer: EQ3
Key Feature: Public lounge showcasing the brand’s latest collection.

The Etcetera Series
Designer: Lightmaker Studio
Key Feature: Hand-blown sandblasted glass paired with walnut or rift oak.

Rob Raeside’s Hand-blown Glass Vases 
Designer: Rob Raeside
Key Feature: The Myko, Beacon, Kilter and Summa vases are designed to look good even when empty.

The Parkside Lounge Chair 
Designer: Coolican & Company
Key Feature: The intricate woven rope seat enables the chair to be used with or without its leather seat cushion.

Boxr 
Designer: North of Modern
Key Feature: Multi-functional bench/lock box serving the last mile of parcel deliveries.

Sex on the Beech Cabinet 
Designer: Alison Postma
Key Feature: The sunset-like accordion sliding door.

YA Fabrica Installation
Designer: YA Fabrica
Key Feature: Large-scale polystyrene-sculpted objects.

The Henge Coffee Table
Designer: Objects & Ideas
Key Feature: Three solid wood pillars notched into the disc-like surface are reminiscent of Neolithic stone circles.

Biophilic Design Booth
Designer: ByNature Design
Key Feature: Living and preserved Green walls

The Terrazzo Collection 
Designer: Suzanne Faris
Key Feature: Hand-made, small batch design.

Black Rock Studio Booth 
Designer: Catherine Carroll
Key Feature: Hand-cut, glazed and fired tiles in glossy jewel tones.

Maison Lacombe Textile Art 
Designer: Martine Dupuis
Key Feature: Punch needle rugs made of wool.

TMU School of Interior Design Booth 
Designer: Various — Graduating Class of 2023
Key Feature: Interactive gallery setting and sculptural renderings.

Figure 1 Publishing Booth 
Key Feature: Canadian publishing company in the areas of art and design.

STAK Duo Vanity 
Designer: Fleurco
Key Feature: Modular design with coloured surface and exposed plumbing.

Light Realm Installation 
Designer: Doris Chen, Johyuk Kim
Key Feature: One of four finalists in the Metropolitan Design Challenge presented by Metropolitan Hardwood Floors Inc.

The Garden Light 
Designer: Noam Hazan
Key Feature: A merging of biophilic design and lighting.

Flax Home Booth 
Designer: Flax Home
Key Feature: The Long Robe made of 100% French stonewash linen.

Ekosi Floor Chair 
Designer: Brett Paulin
Key Feature: Stacked roasted ash wood frame.

CM 5510 Silence Coffee Maker 
Designer: Miele
Key Feature: Rose gold colourway.

Interchangeable Sink Taps 
Designer: Vogt
Key Feature: The MOND line’s multi-colour customizations for sink taps and hardware.

Shadow Vessels 2
Designer: Blaise Campbell
Key Feature:  Textured, hand-blown glass objects.

Montauk Sofa Booth
Designer: Montauk Sofa
Key Feature: Paper-constructed gallery walls

Acoustic Wall Murals 
Designer: Marie Dooley Maison
Key Feature: Each piece is lined with high-performance acoustic wool to reduce noise pollution

STACKABL x The Lobby by Heaps Estrin 
Designer: STACKLAB, Maison Gerard
Key Feature: The Arcilla Cluster pendant series developed through the studio’s new tech system for designing custom objects and furniture without waste.

2023: An Optimistic Future 
Designer: Mason Studio, GOODEE
Key Feature: Fully-recyclable children’s furniture made of recycled plastic.

Built-in: A Tiny Living Case Study 
Designer: STUDIO HAND
Key Feature: A cozy window nook and built-in storage optimize a 450-square-foot condo.

Welcome to R-House
Designer: Rollout
Key Feature: A digital environment that runs through a gaming system for experiencing wallpaper designs. With visualizers Form and Sense, the tool seeks to “decentralize collaboration with artists and pattern makers developing and exploring wallpaper concepts.”

Ostrea Coffee Table 
Designer: Stoneface Co.
Key Feature: The table’s form is modelled after the Ostrea Edulis, a European oyster with a flat, fan shape. Made of solid African Mahogany hardwood.

In-Out Lantern 
Designer: Etienne Vernier
Key Feature: A rechargeable — and backpack-friendly — camping lantern.

Ontario Place — Narrating Past, Present and Potential 
Designer: Quan Thai & OP-ED
Key Feature: A plea for a better future for Ontario Place.